Los Banos Rotary Club History
Rabies Quarantine To Be Lifted Soon

Dr. Frank Brewer, Merced county health officer, Tuesday noon told members of the Los Banos Rotary Club he anticipated the county-wide rabies quarantine which went into effect in September, will probably be lifted early in January. This is of course dependent on the remote possibility that a case of rabies should develop before hand in a dog or human.

By contrast, Dr. Brewer pointed out that while Merced county was the first in the state to declare a quarantine area, 29 other counties have since followed suit, and he predicted that practically the entire state will be on a quarantine basis before the close of the present fiscal year.

Relaxation of the quarantine in this county, he said, is possible because the county had already fulfilled state requirements providing that in an epizoodic area the county must show that at least 50 per cent of the dog population has been vaccinated, and that a satisfactory dog pound is maintained, with an active program of controlling stray dogs.

The Merced county dog ordinance, Dr. Brewer stated, is considered a model of its kind, and is being widely copied throughout the state. Under the county's program, some 4,500 dogs were vaccinated for rabies earlier in the year, and 2,500 more since the quarantine became effective. Approximately 2,000 stray dogs have been destroyed in the past three months, and Dr. Brewer estimates there are about 10,000 dogs in the county at the present time.
Speaking of the rabies control program, Dr. Brewer declared that rabies, one of the most dreaded diseases and 100 per cent fatal in its later stages, can be completely eradicated by a permanent dog vaccination program. Dogs are the prime spreader of the disease to man-because of their close association as pets. In this county, an average 35 persons a month are reported as having been bitten by a dog. In California this year 3,500 persons received rabies treatment as the result of dog bites. Statistics show that one out of every 3,000 persons bitten by a dog contract rabies if they do not take the rabies preventative treatment. However, the seriousness of the disease makes even that small percentage too dangerous to risk.
Commenting on the rabies epidemic in this county, Dr. Brewer said that a number of rabid skunks have been found, and several rabid dogs. Four persons were treated after being bitten, one of which was in a critical condition for several days.

Dr. Brewer advised all persons bitten by a dog or animal to report same immediately, and keep the animal under observation to determine whether or not rabies develops. Cats are also dangerous the doctor said, and he advised owners of such animals to have them vaccinated. The new vaccines, he concluded, are much improved, last longer, and are generally much more satisfactory than those in use in former years.

December 16, 1955

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